


Looking for Trouble

by misura



Category: His Fair Assassin - Robin LaFevers
Genre: F/M, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2021-02-08 01:49:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21468073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: Sybella treats herself to a night on the town.
Relationships: Sybella d'Albret/Benebic "Beast" de Waroch
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10
Collections: Yuletide 2019





	Looking for Trouble

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shoemaster](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shoemaster/gifts).

> missing scene from _Mortal Heart_

"I'm coming with you," Sybella said, raising her head to look Beast straight in the eye, ready for a fight - _or, well, an argument_. If he took it into his head to knock her out again, this time, at least, she planned to see him coming.

Beast grunted. It wasn't the 'no' Sybella had been expecting, so it took her a few moments to realize that grunt was all the reaction he planned to give.

_All right. So this is good. I'm happy. I didn't _want_ to have to argue with him, after all._

Beast went back to doing whatever it was he'd been doing before she'd walked up to him to announce her presence. Sybella'd felt he'd deserved that much from her, at least, and besides, if he knew she was there, he'd know that if anything happened to him, he'd have her to watch his back.

Sybella sighed - with relief, she told herself, when he raised his head again to look at her.

"You've got all the weapons you want?"

Not the question she'd been expecting. "Yes," she said, adding, "Thank you," because it seemed polite.

Beast grimaced, but he still didn't come right out and tell her he didn't want her along, so Sybella didn't quite know what else there was to say. "We're moving out in another ten minutes."

Sybella nodded, then realized he'd turned away again. "I'll be there."

Beast grunted. It sounded a bit different from before. Sybella decided that at some point, she'd have to start analyzing his grunts to figure out the different meanings.

"You're with me."

"Why?" Sybella asked, her tone sharper than she'd intended. This wasn't an assignment, after all, or some other occasion where having Beast along would be a hindrance.

They were going out there to patrol a city where a lot of people were pretty unhappy with their present circumstances. Beast and his men were going out there to make sure the ordinary citizens stayed safe, to break up any fights that might break out between the mercenaries and the Duchess's regular soldiers. After all, no need to make things easier for the French.

Sybella was going out there because she wanted a fight. She _needed_ a fight.

Beast grunted. "You look like a servant."

"You wanted me to dress up like a lady?" Sybella scoffed. "What I look like doesn't matter. I can take care of myself. You should know that."

"I do know that," Beast replied. "But anyone looking for trouble isn't going to stop just because they see you coming at them. They will when they see that right next to you, there's me."

Sybella decided she couldn't argue with that. Of course, that didn't mean she had to like it. "There's more than one way to stop trouble." She had no intention of doing nothing more than 'coming at' people and make them think better of starting any trouble. _That_ wouldn't be much fun.

"Do try to remember that most of the people we'll meet are on our side, please. If the French decide to press their attack, we'll need all the men we can get."

_If the French decide to press their attack, we'll need a miracle,_ Sybella thought, but she suspected Beast knew as well as she did how precarious their situation was. _If it's a miracle we need, we'll simply have to do our best to make one happen - and to hang on until it does._

"So what, if we see anyone assaulting innocent people, I should only stab them a little bit?"

Beast chuckled. "Naw. I wouldn't ask you for the impossible."

_Why not? If I asked it from you, I'm pretty sure you'd give it to me. If you haven't already._

"Just don't get in my way, then," Sybella said.

Beast might have looked the tiniest bit hurt for a fraction of a moment, but all the answer he made was a grunt.

_I'm really going to have to learn that language. Pity they didn't teach us how to speak grunt at the convent. It might have come in a lot handier than Latin these past weeks._

Trouble wasn't hard to find, though Sybella felt a stab of disappointment at how quickly their first fight was over. Three mercenaries, two of them clearly drunk, even if once the fighting started, they seemed to regain some of their senses.

She didn't realize that Beast hadn't even drawn his weapon until after the fight. He'd positioned himself between the three mercenaries and their intended target, a young couple, both of them staring at her wide-eyed, as if they didn't know whether to fear her or thank her.

_I don't need their thanks, anyway._ Sybella retrieved her knives and cleaned them quickly, efficiently, before putting them back in their sheaths. Beast gave her a short nod, directing the young man and woman to keep to the wider streets, where more soldiers might be patrolling.

"You looked like you were having fun," he said, once they were alone again.

"I did." Sybella didn't see any need to lie about it. "Does that bother you?"

"Never did before. Why should now be any different?" Beast shrugged. "I didn't bring you out there because I thought you'd hate it."

"You didn't 'bring me' at all, in fact," Sybella said. "I decided to come on my own. You wanted to tag along, and I very kindly permitted you to do so. So don't go getting any ideas."

Beast grunted. "What sort of ideas would those be?"

"I don't need you to protect me. I can take care of myself just fine."

Beast nodded slowly. "All right. So what you're saying is, you only need me to stand around and look pretty, that sort of thing?"

"Not only," Sybella said, feeling like he was trying to trap her somehow. "I find you quite useful for other things as well."

"See, you say 'useful' but I think the word you're looking for is 'indispensable'. Or possibly 'adorable'. You adore me, don't you? You can admit it. I mean, I feel the same way, so it's not a problem."

"You adore me," Sybella repeated, trying to ignore the way her heart seemed to beat loud enough to give the lie to her casual, unimpressed tone. Plenty of men had told her they adored her, and many of them had been a lot more eloquent about it than Beast.

Of course, most of them had been liars. They hadn't adored her at all; they had only wanted to lie with her, to be allowed to kiss her and put their hands on her and use her body.

Beast grunted. "You hadn't noticed?"

"Well," Sybella said. In Beast's case, she knew it wasn't a lie - even if he did want to bed her, too, and had, in fact. It had been very pleasant, and she had every intention of making it happen again, as well as no intention whatsoever of being too obvious about her desire.

"You think there's anyone else I would take out here with me? Or let fight three guys I could have handled myself?"

"I must admit, that was rather nice of you," Sybella said, deciding to be gracious. "Would you like to have the next ones? That seems only fair."

Beast shook his head. "Naw. I'm good with watching. You just tell me if you want me to step in, or get tired or bored or something like that."

"If that's how you feel, I'm afraid you're not going to be doing a lot of fighting tonight."

Beast shrugged. "There's always tomorrow, or the day after that."

"If you're trying to shame me with your selflessness, it's not going to work, you know."

"Never." Beast snorted. "As if you'd let any man or woman shame you. I might have been trying to impress you a bit, though. Any luck there?"

Sybella laughed. If he'd asked her then and there to return with him to the keep, to his room and his bed, she might have been tempted - for a little while, at least. Still, much as she might be enjoying herself, she reminded herself that they were here to do a job.

"Fine. Consider me impressed. Now, shall we continue on our way, or did you want to stand around even longer to whisper sweet nothings in my ear?"

Beast sketched a bow. "After you, my lady. Go and find us some more trouble."

Sybella grinned and curtsied. "As my lord commands."


End file.
